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Apocalyptic pictures of giant flames and smoke columns have dominated the news, social media and the political conversation.

But what happens once the flames go out?

That’s what I’ve spent a lot of this summer investigating. I’ve hiked into as many wildfire-impacted places as possible to get a sense of how forests recover (or don’t) after the flames have passed.

I’ve traveled into the scar from blazes that burned recently and more than a decade ago.

Here are the six most interesting places to see wildfire scars, at least from my travels.

Best drive: McKenzie Pass Scenic Highway 242

It’s already one of Oregon’s most scenic drives, traveling across lava fields and past sweeping mountain views between McKenzie Bridge and Sisters.

Now, it’s a place where you can see the impact of not one but two wildfires. The 2017 Horse Creek Complex burned across the lush western forests on the drive’s west side, while the 2017 Milli Fire roared on the east side closer to Sisters.

So, there’s fire impact on both sides of the drive.

If you can, find a place to park and walk out onto the black and look for the new vegetation that springs up after a fire — fireweed, huckleberries, grasses and wildflowers.

McKenzie Pass Highway stays open until the snow gets too thick, usually around early to mid-November. Make sure to check before you head out.

Best overhead viewpoint: Scott Mountain

One of my favorite overall hikes leads to a finale that not only has great views of the Cascades peaks, but also historic wildfire scars.

The hike to the summit of Scott Mountain, near McKenzie Pass, is 8.8 miles round-trip with 1,500 feet of climb. It begins at beautiful Scott Lake Campground, passes Benson Lake and Tenas Lakes, and ends atop Scott Mountain.

The view here is spectacular by any measure — you can see Washington, Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, and Hood, in addition to up close views of the Three Sisters.

But it’s the view to the north that’s most interesting. From this bird’s eye view, you can see the scar left by: B&B Complex (2003), Lake George Fire (2006), Shadow Lake Fire (2011) and probably some of the Milli Fire (2017).

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Views of previous wildfires in the Mount Washington and Mount Jefferson area, from the top of Scott Mountain.(Photo: Zach Urness / Statesman Journal)

Best views of megafire: Snow Camp Lookout

Reserve this remote lookout in southwest Oregon — or just visit on a day trip — and you’ll be rewarded with views of the scar from two of the state’s largest blazes.

On one side of Snow Camp Lookout, the view is a blackened wasteland, a forest burned to ash by the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire.

On the opposite side of the lookout’s catwalk, you’ll see green flora and small trees growing up through the scar of an even larger wildfire that burned 15 years ago.

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Snow Camp Lookout offers views of the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire on the left (black) and the scar from the 2002 Biscuit Fire on the right (green and white).(Photo: Zach Urness / Statesman Journal)

Snow Camp Lookout, a 14-by-14-foot cabin, sits on a ridge between two of Oregon’s mightiest wildfires — the Chetco Bar Fire of 2017 and the Biscuit Fire of 2002.

The cabin is a place to see the destruction and rebirth of an ecosystem following wildfire.

“It’s really interesting to see old burn scars juxtaposed with a really new burn,” Trever Fulton, information officer with U.S. Forest Service told the Statesman Journal in a 2017 story. “It’s a mosaic pattern of all these different fires, and types of fire, that will mark the ecology for years to come.”

Oh yes, and there’s also views of the ocean and surrounding Kalmiopsis Wilderness.

The edge of wildfire: Triangulation Peak

The hike to Triangulation Peak and Boca Cave in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness was already one of the state’s best mountain hikes.

Now, it’s even more interesting.

The hike is 5.2 miles round-trip, with 700 to 1,000 feet of climb.

The highlight comes at the top. It’s home to an iconic view of Jefferson, but also showcases the black line where the Whitewater Fire finally broke.

Two other interesting observations: on the hike up, you pass a massive gash in the forest where fire teams cut a wide fireline to stop the Whitewater Fire. The fire never reached it, but the fire break remains like a monument.

Also this: at the top, you can hike around in the burn zone where it’s obvious how the fire cleared away the thick brush below the trees.

On the hike down, it’s difficult to miss the overgrown nature of the forest that didn’t burn.

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Best up-close views of severe burn: Black Crater Trail

After a wildfire passes, one of the interesting things is determining how severely it burned a particular forest. In many cases, the trails that burned most severely remain closed for multiple years. That’s due to trail damage, downed trees and dangerous trees likely to fall in the future.

Black Crater Trail, in the Three Sisters Wilderness above McKenzie Pass, is one of the rare trails that opened up just a year after being severely burned.

The hike is a challenge at 8 miles round-trip and 2,500 feet of climb to a summit at 7,257 feet — almost as tall as Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack. The top is filled with great views of the surrounding mountains.

The fire impact is most relevant in the first 2.8 miles. And despite being severely burned, there are already signs of regrowth — wildflowers and grasses — amid a sea of blackened snags. Even better, the burn opened up the hike’s views, allowing sights of Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood in the first few miles.

Right around the 3-mile mark, as the trail crosses a saddle, the route enters forest apparently burned at low severity. There are plenty of green trees as you near the top, and eventually, you reach forest that wasn’t burned at all.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 11 years. He is the author of the book “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.